Petra Noelke Young

Meet Petra Noelke Young from Germany

Petra is from Germany and used to live in Romania. She is currently in the US on her J1 program in New Mexico.

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1. What has been your most memorable cultural experience so far?

I arrived at the airport of New Mexico's largest city, Albuquerque and visited the state capital Santa Fe, the oldest capital of the United States, before continuing my trip towards the South to Alamogordo. Owing to its varied topography, the state has six distinct vegetation zones that provide diverse sets of habitats for many plants and animals. Its distinctive culture, rich artistic scene, favorable climate, and diverse geography never stopped to amaze me. New Mexico's unique culinary scene has garnered increasing national attention and on weekends, I explore a wide variety of restaurants. Hundreds of years ago, the mountains, plains, and deserts where I currently live belonged to the Mescalero Apache. The Mescalero were essentially nomadic hunters and warriors who lived temporarily in one place in a brush patch, called a "wicki up." The Mescalero roamed freely throughout the Southwest, including Texas, Arizona, Chihuahua, and Sonora. Today, three subtribes—the Mescalero, Lipan, and Chiricahua—make up the Mescalero Apache Tribe, which lives on a 463,000-acre reservation that was once the heartland of their people's original homeland. Several Native Americans also live and work in the city of Alamogordo, and it is a great experience for me to welcome some of their children as students. The most stunning moment I experienced was at the White Sands National Park. Like a mirage, dazzling white sand dunes shimmer in the tucked-away Tularosa Basin. The sands shift and settle over the Chihuahuan Desert, covering 275 square miles—the largest gypsum dunefield in the world! White Sands National Park preserves more than half of this oasis, its shallow water supply, and the plants and animals living there.

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2. What has been your favorite part about living in the US?

Living and teaching in the United States demonstrating what freedom truly means, has been my favorite part about living in the US: The freedom to have, receive, and impart ideas without restriction is incredible. Enjoying the small-town charm of Alamogordo and seeing how the school district I work for succeeded in developing an educational foundation for students to be life-long learners has made living in the US a pleasure to be. The Alamogordo school district is an example of how to adapt and be prepared to succeed in a diverse, ever-changing world. The principals of my school have built a strong school community by demonstrating their relentless focus on teaching and learning, as well as their exceptional teacher support and self-reflection as a sustained commitment. Colleagues I work with, have always been supportive, collegial and friendly, so I was able to adapt to a new school system. Also, I have always been continuously offered the opportunity to pursue my own professional development within my regular working hours during our planning and CLN times. These training sessions have not only been interesting, but have enabled me to significantly improve my teaching and adapt it to the interests and needs of the students.

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3. What has been the most challenging?

Implementing educational technology in the classroom has not always been smooth, or successful. I faced obstacles that prevented me from using technology meaningfully and appropriately in the classroom, although the school district had sufficiently enriched us with Chromebooks and Smartboards in the classroom. It took me almost half a year to understand and use all the apps sensibly, understand data, and fully utilize the technology in my teaching. I learned that when properly integrated into the classroom, tools such as computers and video conferencing can be used to supplement children's education, support students with disabilities, and provide a variety of additional applications and benefits.

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4. Do you have tips for your fellow J-1 teachers?

Be open-minded to all cultures and attitudes.

Environment, experiences, culture, and education shape open-mindedness. My years of teaching in various countries, including Romania, Germany, Bulgaria, California, and now New Mexico, have fostered contact with different cultures, travel, and education, as well as critical thinking and tolerance, which helped me develop an open mindset. Obtaining information from different sources and being open to constructive feedback makes you more flexible in your thinking. Be tolerant and simply try to adapt to new situations.

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Live in the present and for the moment.

If you are constantly thinking about your home country, your friends and family back home, the past and/or worrying about the future, it can be difficult to enjoy the good things in your life now. Learning to be more mindful and live in the here and now can help you appreciate your life in general and your time as an exchange teacher more. It can also reduce feelings of stress, depression and anxiety.

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Embrace new ideas, try out what seems so strange at first.

The first step to adaptability is being open to new ideas. We naturally tend to cling to what we know and resist change. However, to be adaptable, sometimes we need to break out of that pattern. To embrace new ideas, we need to develop a new mentality - the "dare to do" mentality. This means seeing challenges and setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow. It also means being willing to experiment and take risks. By embracing new ideas, we can learn about the world... The Teacher Exchange Program offers just that!

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Explore the history of the particular place where you are staying and don’t just travel to popular tourist destinations.

Wherever you live, the built environment tells stories. During the week or on a weekend, uncovering stories from the city you live in can help you feel a sense of discovery, even in your immediate surroundings, even in the environments that are very familiar to you. Every community has value, and one way to recognize that is to start looking at it.

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Become part of the community, volunteer!

If you want to meet new people or learn skills that will advance your career, volunteering may be a great option. When you volunteer, you have the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of others. When I was furnishing my new apartment in Alamogordo, I went to the community center's second hand furniture store. Not only was this an inexpensive opportunity for great furniture, but I also met great people from the city who either donated or helped me move the furniture into my apartment.

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Learn by doing.

It was Aristotle who wrote that “for the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”

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Communicate.

Communication is the key. As an exchange teacher we depend on communication because it improves collaboration, it builds trust and it is essential for successful teamwork. Coming from a Foreign culture, misunderstandings can easily happen and lead to conflict and negative emotions like loneliness.

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Maintain a positive attitude and mindset, reflect and grow.

Too often we focus on the things that are wrong with us, the things we are not good at or the things we have failed at. However, if we want to develop a positive attitude, we should focus on our strengths. Find something to be grateful for every day. For example, I make notes in a gratitude journal every evening. Over time, it became easier for me to recognize things that I am fundamentally grateful for. Are you wondering what makes you who you are? Make a list of your positive qualities. When you think about it, you can more easily focus on the good sides of yourself. Our inner voice often tells us what we are doing wrong, but sometimes it forgets to remind us what we are doing right. Practice self-compassion by taking a few minutes to treat yourself kindly, carefully and gently.

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Practice self-care!

It's okay to take breaks, feel good and take care of yourself. By taking better care of ourselves, we may think more positively about ourselves, which will help us have more positive experiences.

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5. What has been your student's favorite cultural exchange activity so far?

My students really enjoyed talking with Danuta Mitrea, a teacher from my former school in Romania through the video conference we started in class. The topic of daily routines in a school in Europe as well as life in a neighboring country of Ukraine and its war zone caught my students' attention. They were keen to compare our daily routines and classroom conditions, which was amazing to see. Their interest and engagement after this discussion shows how effective cultural learning can be in promoting understanding and appreciation in the classroom.

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